I caught up with my gal Melissa Levenson of Melissa Harans Studio to talk all things branding.

Melissa’s been in the design world for over a decade, from working at an agency to running her own studio — collaborating with brands like Free People, Anthropologie, 12th Tribe, and Lawless, plus a few very cool Adobe speaking invites along the way *she’s kind of a big deal*. Melissa knows how to build brands that feel both beautiful and intentional.

She also happens to be the creative behind my own brand, making her the obvious person to unpack why branding is about so much more than just a pretty logo.

Q&A with Melissa Harans Studio

Q: What makes a brand memorable beyond a nice logo?

MHS: A unique look and feel. The kind of visuals that even if a logo isn’t visible, you still know exactly whose content it is. I work really hard to educate my content creator clients on this. Their jobs typically rely on them leaning into trends, and that’s great! But we also need to pinpoint what makes them different so they can stand out in a noise-filled space, vs putting more of the same out there.

Q: What’s one quick exercise someone can do to start defining their brand?

MHS: Create a pinterest board where every pin is from a different brand (no repeats)! Then identify common themes that speak to you. It’s much easier than starting with a blank document and trying to answer the question, “Who am I as a brand?”

Q: What’s an easy “brand check” you recommend to see if everything feels cohesive – website, Instagram, email signature, etc* ?

MHS: This is tough because depending on the brand/goals, different channels will hold different weight (in terms of brand awareness and impact). Instead, I’d recommend a screenshot of each touchpoint on one page. If it looks like a cohesive moodboard, you’re gtg! If something stands out, it should be refined to better fit with the overall brand presence.

Q: What’s a small detail that instantly makes a brand feel more polished?

MHS: High end fonts!

Q: What’s one piece of common advice you think people should skip?

MHS: Judging an asset’s success by its CTR or conversion. I think a lot of small businesses forget the intangible value of good branding (not just a font, colors, logo) but the way a brand makes you feel. So many smaller or newer brands will chase every dollar without considering what it does to the brand’s positioning. I learned this first hand at Free People. Yes, we paid close attention to analytics, but we weren’t afraid to lose a few sales by prioritizing a beautiful email that would make the audience feel something and keep them coming back for more, even if it meant we intentionally set aside a few “best practices” in terms of conversion. This can be really hard to educate people on as it’s easy to measure sales but not so easy (kind of impossible) to measure the way an audience feels about a brand – which is super important to keep them coming back, and to validate luxe pricing!

Q: What’s one brand you think is nailing it right now – and why?

MHS: The Gap has my attention recently. Their recent collabs have been on point – I’m actually wearing a Beis x Gap sweatshirt as we speak. They have these really intentional and on-trend, yet classic moments while still honoring their core branding and audience. At the same time please take this with a grain of salt because I do have some notes on their graphics, but I also don’t want to name obvious brands like Summer Fridays or Rhode!

The Takeaway

Great branding isn’t a single file in your asset folder – it’s the thread that connects every touchpoint to a feeling your audience remembers. Start by defining what’s distinctly you, do a quick “mood-board audit” across platforms, invest where it saves time or elevates quality, and don’t let short-term metrics overshadow long-term intentions. When your brand feels cohesive, you’re not just recognizable – you’re remembered.

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